Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble | 
so-soFeeling a little weird about this one...
At first you've got the 'archaeology is nifty, here's some nifty archaeology!' Like a 'series of articles interviewing different archaeologists' feel, kind of chatty pop science narration vibes.
Then: uh oh, but it's really hard to get a decent paying job, or funding, or legal protection for sites, often at the mercy of private developers, and then there's identifying human remains from historical wars 1/?
He made a friend! 🥹♥️🦙
Preservation and conservation: keep the history found from being lost. 👏🏻
“To some extent, archaeologists find what they're looking for, and if you never look for evidence of powerful women, even if the hills and valleys are full of queens and warriors, they'll be invisible.“ 👸🏿👸🏽👸🏾👸🏻🙌🏻
Prime candidate for a cozy mystery series. 🥸
One plant heals, another harms...😬🫣
About designing a card deck for soldiers to teach them about culture, archeology, etc.
Something I learned and didn‘t know!
pickJust barely a pick. I love archeology, I took a minor in anthropology in college because I enjoyed it so much, so as much as I enjoyed this book I was left wanting even more from it. This reminds me somewhat of a Mary Roach book, pick a topic, track down those who do the job, hangout with them a bit and write about your experiences. So it was fun, I learned a lot, but I personally just needed a deeper dive with some of these stories.
pickA Mary Roach style journalism/ deep investigation narrative, in this case of the profession of Archaeology, what is required to be an archaeologist, the nature of the people who pursue the profession, the passions required and the sacrifice which are required to pursue these passions ( job prospects are poor and pay is terrible). The picture painted is of a profession of happy eccentrics, embracing the uncertainty associated with their role.
pickIf you want a book about archaeology—the history of the field, the methodologies & technologies employed—this is not the book for you. If, however, you want a book about why people become archaeologists, & where that takes them, then you will likely enjoy this book as I did. Through personal interviews, participation in excavations & attendance at conferences, Johnson provides readers an entertaining glimpse into the lives of archaeologists.
So true...and there is ALWAYS another question.
😂
All the burning questions you want answered!
How much beer? A fair bit. Gin & Tonics too. But, the most important beverage on an excavation, especially when you wake up at 4:30am to head off to the field, is coffee. Lots and lots of coffee!
Back to fiction for remainder of the weekend but this will be my next nonfiction read. At the core of the book is a simple & intriguing question—why do archaeologists care “so passionately about what‘s dead & buried?” I expect this will be a fun read &, as an archaeologist who has worked in the Middle East for decades, I‘m interested to see what Johnson comes up with. I read & enjoyed her book ‘This Book is Overdue!‘ Hoping for another good book.
Yay! I already find this utterly fascinating! Awesome to read about a vocation that I find interesting but about which I know nothing. Its that “Love of Learning” in action again as usual.
My last order from Christmas gift cards has arrived! Happy, happy, happy! 😃😃📚📚📚
pickGreat read! So interesting. Each chapter is about a different dig or a different aspect of archeology. I heard the author give a talk about the work being done to study the Jamestown colony and she did such a good job I picked up her book. So glad I did!
#biblioweekend halted yesterday, when I accidentally watched the entire first season of Orphan Black, but back to it today.
so-soThis book was a gift from my in laws. If you are an archaeologist, like I am, you will find this book boring; otherwise, you'll probably find it fascinating.
If the idea was to ease the reader in with the adventurous bits and move into harder hitting topics, I don't think the progression landed, because the writing tone continues to feel fairly light. 6d
Of particular interest to me was the contrast in funding between active digging and preservation of archives - the idea that what was previously discovered could still be lost to time because there's not enough money to either catalogue what has been found or keep the storage space necessary to house it, and yet there isn't enough funds to employ all archaeologists in 6d
I can appreciate that various professional archaeologists are softening on amateur efforts that are not just well-intentioned but conscientious, but similar to all the appreciable volunteer efforts, and the using salvage law because conservation law hasn't caught up, these work-arounds point out that 6d
One final point on funding that was not addressed by Johnson: one of the chapters in this book felt awfully close to military propaganda, especially in relation to talking up the amount of money the American Department of Defence spends on archaeology, in harsh contrast to the earlier discussions about all the ways archaeologists and archaeology groups have lost or depleted funding, 6d
Some additional positives?
6d
In a similar vein, there is frequent acknowledgement of the strides women have taken in the profession, always in opposition to patriarchal bastions, the old ideas about allowing women into the schools or 6d
It's obvious that Johnson admires archaeologists' devotion in the face of so many obstacles, it does invite investigation, to know what provokes such stubborn perseverance, but it's clear in her conclusion that it's not a particular site or hypothesis that draws them in, as much as it is the passion for the field in general, looking into the history of humans. 6d
⚠️ Description of butchering an animal, mention of SA, misogyny 6d